The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1887-10-13
TRAINS WRECKED

= ~ "a O6AAy " OAAOO0 LIZ
tImated al q.
The Officials Refuse to Give any In
formation.
CHICAGO, Oct. IA special to the
News from Hammond, Indiana, says
the passenger train East bound on the
Chicago 81 Atlantic Railroad, leaving
Hammond at S:I5 last night,
broke down near kouts Station.
The engine started ahead, leaving the
train, and stopped for water at Slate
Switch. The engine got on. ce2ter
and could not get back to the train.
The stock train following, running on
special time, crashed into the paSsen-
ger, telescoping the sleeper and four
coaches. So far fourteen bodies have
been taken from the wreck. A Doctor
from Huntington, Ind, is the only
passenger identified. The rest are
burned beyond recognition. Twenty
five or thirty are wounded. The en-
gineer and fireman on the stock train
were badly hurt, and are not expected
to live.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, Oct. lad
vices from the scene of the wreck on
meagre. The train that was teleScop-
ed had stopped for the Pan Handle
crossing when a fast freight dashed
into the Qrear. The passenger train
was due in Chicago at s O'clOck, and
the accident occurred at 8 O'Clock.
Seven cars in all are said to have been
consumed by fire. including Pullman
sleeper. Fifteen persons were killed
and the same injured.
CHICAGO, Oct. 11.-W. A. Duncan,
of Syracuse, N. Y, arrived from the
scene of the accident. He saw the
wreck. Eighteen or twenty is the num-
Der at which he places those known to
have been killed. A number of these
were burned before his eyes. A little
Bohemian boy was hemmed in, but not
reached by the fire, and saw his father,
brother and two sisters slowly roasting
before his eyes. There was doctor on
the train who lost his wife and daugh-
ter in the burning wreck. The night
was dark and the scene dreadful. The
rear coaches of the passenger train
were smashed and teleScoped so that
three occupied less space than one.
Live Goals from out the engine ignited
the debris, under which wounded and
dead were lying. Before substantial
assistance could be rendered thirty peo-
pie had died. Some were mercifully
killed by the first shock, but many were
slowly roasted to death. No one in
the Pullman sleeper was hurt. No
means existed for checking the fire,
and ouly after it had burned itself out
was it possible to do anything for the
few still alive imprisoned in the debris.
Forty people were wounded, or burned,
or both.
The worst horrors of the Chats
worth were duplicated here to-day.
A dozen blOOd-stained, smoke be-
grimed, injured victims of railroad
brought into the villages little station
house early this morning, and this
Afternoon nine charred corpses, victims
of the same laundering and careless
ness, were laid upon the station plat
form, while three miles west down the
track of the Chicago & Atlantic Rail-
road, near a lonely old water tank,
piles of feartully tangled debris mark
ed the spot where a collision seldom
equalled for terrible results, had Oe-
CURED. According to the best esti-
mate obtainable, for only an estimate
was possible, fully thirty human lives
has been sacrificed outright and half
that number had suffered in
juries more or less serious.
The East bound express that left Chi
cago last night with great load of
passengers had, without a moments
warming during a temporary wait, been
smashed into from behind by heavily
loaded fast freight, plunging forward in
the darkness in hurrying dressed meat
to markets of the seaboard. Some part
of the machinery of the passenger en-
CINE had been thrown out of order dur
ing the run from Chicago. A trifiing
stop at the water tank would make it
all right it was thought, and the stop
was accordingly made. Suddenly out
of the darkness behind burst the
fash of headlight, the rush
and rattle of many wheels. and
then mighty crash. Just as at Chats
worth the sleeping car now gDt in its
deadly work. The massive framework
of the sleeper was transformed into a
huge catapult, pushed mercilessly for
ward by the freight. 1t crashed into
the cars forward, smashing their COM
paratively light timberS and making
the dire work of destruction complete.
The wreck took fire, and the sight OF
the Shrieking victims and dancing
flames was one never to be forgotten.
To day, on his bed of agony at the little
hotel at KoutS. the engineer of
passenger train told the following story
of the terrible disaster: I'VE passed
No. 40 at Boone Grove on time, and
nine persons had been killed
he declared, and not more than ten or
started towards KoutS. No. 40 passed
out of the station in less than two mIn-
utes behind US, when they should have
waited much longer. When we were
well away from the town we could see
her lights but a little way behind. We
were not running very fast, because
the engine was ION one SIDE" We
had broken an eccentric strap
and were running but one
pair of wheels, having been
forced to disconnect the other pair of
wheels, which were running loose. OF
course the accident had our speed down
little, but we had no idea that the
engineer of No. 40 would have an. diff
ficulty in keeping off from our heels.
The last time / looked behind there
was ample room between us. We
stopped at the Boone Grove water
tank and were there almost a minute
before they struck us. Conductor
Gagflyn was then forced to leave fOr
his train and could ask no more par
ticulars.n
KoUTs, Ind, Oct. I1.-WillIam
Gaghyn, the conductor of the Chicago,
st. Louis & PittsbuIg construction
train, now working between Kouts and
Hebron. small station ten miles west
| of KoutS, saw something of the results
/ of the accident. His construction
train runs into KOuts every evening
with its load of tired workmen, and
the conductor sleeps in the one little
| hotel Of which the town boasts. He
was awakened at O'Clock this morn.
| ing TO take out a Wabash train thai
had been delayed by the wreck. UpoI
going down stairs in the hotel he found
all confusion. In the little parlor {
boy. some Is years old, was stretched
torn to pieces, with just enough Life
left to speak in faint whispers to thOst
who asked him about the accident. Il
room near the parlor another boy wa
lying with serious bruises about tn
head. In 8 room upstairs wa
the engineer Of the wrecked mea